just wondering what you all figure,

should I build a screaming supercharged 302 pushing 500 ponies or a mild build on a 429 pushing the same or more. I drive a 96 F150 2x4 with a 302 five gear.
the main things I cant decide are do I give up fuel mileage for an engine that requires a little less preciseness to build but weighs a lot more or squeeze every last drop of hp out of a small block and possibly give up reliability. Basically I'm just not sure. I make about 600 miles a week so fuel mileage is sort of important.

 

well both engines would probably eat up gas so if i was you i would get an old project stang or swb f100 and fix that up for the shows and weekend cruises.

 

You just said that you don't want to give up fuel mileage but you want 500HP. Nitrous oxide on the 429 is about the only way you are going to get any mileage and still have the engine hold together.

 

Nitrous and an engine holding together? That's a new one to me!

I'd look at a Paxton centrifugal blower, a holley fuel injection kit, and the 429. Probably the most reliable and offering the most mileage potential that way, while still getting you to 500hp, depending on the belt ratio.

Good luck!

 

I agree with f100guy, get one car for performance and another for mpg.

Otherwise, go with a mild 429, the hp will come easier which would theoretically make for a more dependable engine. If you are determined to get great mpg out of a built motor, then the first thing you should do, find a reliable shop that has built such a motor and can do it again. Good luck

 

Actually an early 429 (pre72') with a quality intake, carb, headers, and cam is well over the 400 mark (stock 429 with the dove heads are 375 i believe) and if you build for nitrous like forged pistons and rods, arp bolts, fule pump,and safety goodies like a bigger cooling system and oiling system, your motor can safely handle 150hp shot of nitrous. If i were you i would go with the 429 cause it will last longer, and it will pull harder cause it will have way more torque down low too.

 

I would go with the 429, more low end power if you set it up right. Plus a lot less money in the motor, you could hit the 500 mark, with still some low end power, get big valves put in the heads, get the port matched, get about 10.5:1 compressions pistons, and a decent size cam, and a 750 edelbrock with a 4 barrell intake sitting on top, and a MSD double spark ignition system. You should be able to hit 500 horse, and still have some power under 2000 RPM.

 

I still think it'd be cool to see a Paxton Novi 2000 bolted to the front of a 429. That'd definately get you above 500 hp!

 

600 miles a week 500 horses @5 MPG 120 gallons of premium fuel @ $1.75 a gal =$ 210.00 a week for fuel X 4= $840 a month. Buy yourself an escort and you'll still have $400 a month to build yourself a fire breather. I am in the same boat, I would like too have a high performance engine but just drive to many miles to make it feasable. Skip

 

All you've got to do is stroke the 429 and use other well matched components, and you will very easily have 500hp of reliable motor. Not so with the 302...

 

well it appears as though no one is in favor of the 302, just as I thought. thanks for your opinions, the are the deciding factor. by the way I just checked out a set of bbf hemi heads from jon kasse and although they're costly I think they'll be ordered in the near future. Thanks again for your replies!!!

 

Get that small block 302 and add a 3.25 inch stroke crankshaft, 5.155" (289 style rods), KB 351W pistons with comp height of 1.62" (better rod to stroke ratio)

this will give you a lower cost 331 stroker....add some nice afr185 cylinder heads and a supercharger adding the forced cubic inches....(this should make for a much more reliable engine than the 500hp supercharged 302)

mileage will be much better than the big block and the power will be there when you need it.

power on the stroker is about 350 crankshaft hp and 350 ft lbs of torque

add another 30% of the power and you'll have a general idea of what you should be getting with the supercharger

THis should put you in the neighborhood of what you want.

 

Ditch the 302 and go for a windsor stroker or a big block.

 

429 big block all the way, better chance of it holding togather than a 302 small block, i will always take a big block over the little guys.

 

One more thing....should you decide on the small block....it is advisable to go with a sportsman block....due to the limitations of the stock production block....

If going 351w, I would stroke it to 390cid.....using forged rods and pistons and the aforementioned cyl heads, supercharger etc...with this, the power would come in at a more manageable rpm....and you'd still have better mileage than the 460